Ice-cutter for railway-cars.



1.]. CARNES & W. T. STRONG.

lc'E CUTTER FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FiLED FEB. 23. 1915.

1,148,754. Patented Aug. 3,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0..WASHINOTON, D. c.

J. 1; CARNES & w. T. STRONG.

ICE CUTTER FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23. m5.

1,148,754. Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- lHVEHTURS.

gieiwg COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASHXNOTON. D. c.

STATES JAMES J. GARNES, OF MALDEN, AND WILLIAM T; STRONG, OF

MASSACHUSETTS.

EVERETT,

ICE-CUTTER FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

Application filed February 23, 1915. Serial No. 9,953.

. Railway-Cars, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to an ice cutting mechanism especially adapted for cutting ice on the road beds of street railways, and has for its object to provide a novel cutting mechanism, which is capable of being applied to an electric railway car and particularly to the snow plow now commonly used, so that the cutters may be forced through the layer of ice on the road bed, with a minimum of power and without diminishing to any material extent the traction of the wheels of the snow plow upon the rails.

The invention further has for its object to provide a cutting mechanism, which can be secured to the shear of the snow plow,

,so as'to be raised andlowered with said shear. I

Provision ismade for adjusting the cutters with relation to the road bed so as to regulate the depth of the cut made in the ice. Provision is also made for shielding the motorman from the spray of fine ice.

Provision is also made to permit the cutting mechanism to be attached to an inclined shear and yet allow the cutters to occupy a nary construction, such as is now commonly used on electric street railways, and only a portion of which is herein shown. The shear member a has connected wlth 1t mechanism 7 for cutting ice on the road bed, which mechanism is preferably made as herein shown, and consists of a carrier or bar 5 extended transversely of the trackupon which the snow plow runs, and provided with a plu- 1211 133 of cutters c, which are and may be mdlvidually secured to the bar 6 by set screws 01 or otherwise, and are inclined downwardly toward the road bed. The lower or free ends of the cutters c are suitably sharpened. The cutter carrying bar 5 1s preferably made longer than the width of the track, and is fastened to a supporting frame, which is herein shown as substantlally parallel metal bars 10, 12, connected by an intermediate cross bar 13, the bars 10,

12 being pivotally connected at their rear ends to brackets 14,15, bolted or otherwise fastened to the front face of the shear mem ber a. The supporting bars 10, 12, are provided at their front ends with upwardly inclined extensions or arms 16, to which is bolted or otherwise adjustably secured a device'to position the cutters with relation to the road bed, so as to regulate the depth of cut into the ice. The positioning device may be made as herein shown and consists of a skid or board '20, which is'fastened to the upwardly inclined arms 16 of the supporting bars 10,12, by bolts 21, and the skid 20 may be loweredaway from the inclined arms 16 of the said bars by means of shims 22 interposed between said bars and skid. The skid or board 20 may be supported at its center by a link chain 23, which is engaged with an eyebolt 24 secured 'to theskid, and'with a shackle 25 attached to a link or bar 26, extended through a slot 27 in the shear member and pivoted at its rear end to a crank 28 on a rock shaft 29, which is provided with cranks or arms 30, to which the shear member a is bolted or otherwise fastened.

The crankshaft 29 is designed to be rocked by an operatorwithin the car body 31, by

means of suitable mechanism such as now commonly used on snow plows for raising and lowering the shear member, and only a portion'of which is shown, namely the 'linkorrod32.

From the above description, it will be seen that by rocking the shaft 29, the shear member a may be raised or lowered-with relation to the road bed, and thatthe cutting mechanism is raised and lowered with the shear member. When the shear member ais lowered into its operative position, the cut-. ting mechanismv is also lowered until the rearor lower end of the skid 20 rests on the layer of ice on the road bed, and by reason of the cutter frame being pivoted w the shear. .m mb ,v t lat er c n be lower the ice so as to remove the same down below thelevel of the upper surfac'e'of the rails, and'the distancethe cutters penetrate the ice may beregulated by adjusting the skid with relation to its supporting frame, so as to 'insurethat'the power of-the snow plow will force the cuttersthrough the ice, without diminishing the traction of the wheels ,of-the L snow plow upon the rails 40 101E th'e track. a V v I vided with a'vertically movable shear, of an ice cutting mechanism located in front of j said shear and comprisinga cutter carrying bar extended transversely of the snow plow,

In other words, the skid 2O prevents the cutters penetrating thelayer .ofice to s ch depth as would ofier'jsufficient resistance to the movement of the snow plow, as to lift sthe snow plow and reduce the weight of the latter'upo'n the car wheels, and thereby diminish the traction of the-car wheels upon the rails, which in some cases would be sufficient to cause 'the car wheels to slip upon the rails and not propelthe snow plowfor-I ward, consequentlyv rendering the cutting mechanism inoperative for the purpose intended, and at the same time causing a loss of p0wer,ias the current would be wasted. in merely spinning the car wheelsff LBy imaking the skid 20 adjustable with --relation-to the cutter supporting frame, by meanscf the shims 22 or otherwise, the depthgof the cut into the ice canbe regulated, and alsothe cutters may be ground or sharpened without materially varying the djifstance the cutters penetrateinto the'layer 0 ice.

, Provislon is alsomade for protecting the is locatedabove the cutters, and is secured to brackets which (are fastened to the sidebars 10,12, of theframefwhich supa v i a vided with a vertically movable shear, ,of'an ice cutting niechanism comprising-a'support- *ingjframe pivotally attached to said shear ports the cutters.

' The guard or, board serves to prevent the fine ice from being thrown upward: into the-field 'of sight of l-themotorman, and in sures the latter a clear view ofthe track in front ofthe snow plow, thereby reducing the liability of'accidents. V

The side bar 12 of the supporting frame is connected with the bracket 15, by a pin and slot connection, the-pivot pin 50 for the bar 12being capable ofmoving in. a vertical slot 51 in the bracket 15,, This arrangement enables the cuttingmechanism-toube applied to the shear a of snow plows as now com- 1 -monly constructed, in which the shearis arranged so as to incline downwardly from view of the motorman operating the plow, 7

rear toward its front end, when the shear s in its-elevated position, and when so ap-- plied,-Tthe rear end of the shear is capable of descending after the'front end of the shear rests. on the road bed, which enables the'skid 20 to assume a horizontal position with the cutter bar level or 1n a plane parallel with the road bed, so as to insure all of the cutters Y being brought" into the desired or operative position. j 7

The skid 20 is lifted'above 'the'road; bed

1. Thecombination'with a snow'plow procutters secured to said *bar, a supporting frame .for said cutter-carrying bar 'pivotally attached to said shear to move vertically, a skid attached to said frame, and: a shield supported by said frame above said cutter carrying'bar.

I 2 The combinationwith asnow plow provided withia vertically movableishearyofan 7 ice cutting mechanismlocated .infront of said shear" and comprising'acuttercarrying.

bar extended transversely of the sntdwfplovv, cutters secured to said "bar, a supporting frame for said cutter carrying ba'rj pivotally as, r

attached to saidshear to n1ov e vertically,

and a skid attached to said frame. I

' o 3. The-"combination with'a snow plowprovided witha shearextended transversely of the snow plo'w'in front ofthe same, ofan ice cuttlng mechanism located in front of said shear and capable of'being moved -vertically independently of saidshear and coma prising a cutter carrier pivotally extended transversely of the'snow plow, a cutter carriedthereby, anda supporting frame for said cuttercarrier attached to said, shear.

" 4. The combination with-asnow, plowproand projecting in front thereof, acutter-can' f saidcutter for positioning the cutte'nwith. I

relation to the road ibed.

5. The combination w1 aniice cuttingmechanism comprising a supporting'frame attached to saidshear and projecting in front thereof, a cutter carried I th a snow plowprovided with a vertically movable shear, of, a

by'said supporting :frame,' means for positiming the cutter with relation to the road. bed, and a shield located'above said cutter.

6. An ice cutting mechanism of the charnames to this specification in the presence of acter described, comprising a cutter bar, a two subscribing Witnesses.

plurality of cutters secured thereto, a sup- JAMES J. CARNES. V porting frame for said cutter bar, and a WILLIAM T. STRONG.- 5 skid attached to said frame in front of said Witnesses:

cutter bar. 7 JAS. H. CHURCHILL,

In testimony whereof, We havesigned our J. MURPHY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

- Washington, D. 6. 

